Do 'Bad' Stocks Do Better than 'Good' Stocks?

Investors who aren't concerned about what businesses their investments are in might want to consider investing in 'bad' stocks, often referred to as 'vice stocks' or 'sin stocks', and now are referred to as the supposedly politically correct term, 'barrier stocks.' They are now called that because the industries have a barrier to entry. The industries include tobacco, alcohol, gambling, defense, adult entertainment, and other businesses that have negative connotations by many investors.

As a matter of fact, there is a mutual fund that used to be called the Vice Fund, but is now called the USA Mutuals Barrier Investor

Fund. (VICEX). Over the last year, the fund has significantly outperformed the S&P 500, rising 3.26% versus a drop of 2.36% for the S&P. Even over five years and ten years, the fund has outperformed the stock market in general. Year-to-date, the fund is up 3.69% versus a loss in the S&P.

If you are wondering what sort of stocks are in the Barrier Fund portfolio, here are the top eight holding:

Philip Morris International Inc (PM)
Reynolds American Inc (RAI)
Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS)
Altria Group, Inc. (MO)
MGM Resorts International (MGM)
Raytheon Company (RTN)
Wynn Resorts (WYNN)
General Dynamics Corp (GD)

Each of these stocks represent anywhere from 3% to 6% of the portfolio.

Rydex Leisure (RYLIX) is a fund that owns several stocks that are considered 'bad' or not so good, such as Philip Morris, Altria, and Reynolds American. It also owns McDonald's (MCD) as some investors consider fast food to be not-so-good.

Another fund that has occasionally been put in the vice fund category includes Fidelity Select Consumer Staples (FDFAX), which owns British American Tobacco, Reynolds American, and Altria. It also owns Pepsico (PEP) and Coca Cola (KO), which many consider not-so-good due to the sale of sugary drinks.

If you are not concerned about how your investment funds are used, buying the 'bad' stocks might be a 'good' strategy.

Disclosure: Author owns MCD, PEP, & KO. 

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of March

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Ameren Corp	AEE	3/7/2016	3.7%
Hewlett Packard	HPQ	3/7/2016	6.8%
Innophos Holdings	IPHS	3/7/2016	7.3%
Mobile Mini Inc	MINI	3/7/2016	3.0%
Reis Inc	REIS	3/7/2016	3.1%
Auburn National Bancorp	AUBN	3/8/2016	3.5%
Capella Education Company	CPLA	3/8/2016	3.4%
DDR Corp  REIT	DDR	3/8/2016	4.6%
MDU Resources Group	MDU	3/8/2016	4.1%
Occidental Petroleum	OXY	3/8/2016	4.4%
Public Service Enterprise Group	PEG	3/8/2016	3.8%
PPL Corporation	PPL	3/8/2016	4.2%
Reynolds American	RAI	3/8/2016	3.3%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of June

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Ameren Corp	AEE	6/8/2015	4.1%
Auburn National Bancorp, Inc.	AUBN	6/8/2016	3.5%
CME Group	CME	6/8/2017	2.1%
Forrester Research Inc. Com.	FORR	6/8/2018	2.0%
General Motors Company	GM	6/8/2019	4.1%
Kohl's Corporation	KSS	6/8/2020	2.8%
Occidental Petroleum	OXY	6/8/2021	3.9%

Pepco Holdings	POM	6/8/2023	4.0%
PPL Corporation	PPL	6/8/2024	4.3%
Reynolds American	RAI	6/8/2025	3.6%
Reis Inc	REIS	6/8/2026	2.6%
SCANA Corp.	SCG	6/8/2027	4.1%
South Jersey Industries	SJI	6/8/2028	3.8%
Symantec Corporation	SYMC	6/8/2029	2.5%
Travelers Co.	TRV	6/8/2030	2.4%
Telus Corp	TU	6/8/2031	4.9%
United Bancorp	UBCP	6/8/2032	4.4%
Best Buy	BBY	6/9/2015	2.7%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 
Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of September

  

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Ameren Corp	AEE	9/8/14	4.0%
Auburn National Bancorp	AUBN	9/8/14	3.7%
DineEquity Inc.	DIN	9/8/14	3.6%
Elmira Savings Bank	ESBK	9/8/14	4.1%
Guess, Inc.	GES	9/8/14	3.8%
Golar LNG Ltd.	GLNG	9/8/14	2.9%
General Motors Company	GM	9/8/14	3.5%
Neutral Tandem Inc	IQNT	9/8/14	4.9%
Kohl's Corporation	KSS	9/8/14	2.7%
Occidental Petroleum	OXY	9/8/14	2.8%
Parkway Properties	PKY	9/8/14	3.6%
Pepco Holdings	POM	9/8/14	3.9%
PPL Corporation	PPL	9/8/14	4.3%
Reynolds American	RAI	9/8/14	4.6%

 The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 
Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Rolling Papers Stocks: The Forgotten Medical Marijuana Play

With the huge attention given to companies involved in the medical marijuana or recreational marijuana boom, investors have turned to such companies as fertilizer producers, electronic cigarette manufacturers, garden suppliers, and other companies with very tenuous connections to the marijuana industry. However, one area that has been forgotten is the rolling papers industry. These are the companies that manufacture and market cigarette rolling papers, used as a primary form of consuming cannabis historically.

One of the reasons that these companies are overlooked are that most of these companies are either privately held or are based in Europe. Some of the popular brands, such as Zig-Zag, JOB, and Abadie rolling papers are produced by Republic Group, a privately held company based in in Perpignan, in Pyrénées Orientales, in in Southern France.

Bugler cigarette papers are made by Scandinavian Tobacco Group which is owned by Swedish Match. (SWMAY) (SWMAF), which trades over-the-counter in the United States and also trades on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm Exchange. The company also makes matches, lighters, and tobacco products. The stock trades at 18 times trailing earnings and 2.5 times forward earnings. Revenues for the latest quarter were up 1.1% yet earnings dropped 21.7%.

One of the oldest brands of rolling papers is RizLa+, which were first made in 1532. The papers are produced by Imperial Tobacco Group (ITYBY) (ITYBF), which trades over-the-counter in the US, and on the London Stock Exchange. The stock has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 38. Both earnings and revenues were down big time for the latest quarter, -40.1% and -4.9% respectively.

Will American tobacco companies get into the marijuana business? That remains to be seen. In the 1960's and 1970's, there were rumors that tobacco companies had registered trademarks of 'famous' marijuana names like Acapulco Gold and Maui Wowie. Based on my initial research, I haven't found that to be true.

However, here is something interesting. In 1973, Heublein, the the publicly traded alcoholic beverage company that distributed such brands as Smirnoff vodka and Jose Cuervo tequila, registered the Trademark Acapulco Gold as a drink mix. Then, get this, in 1982, the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company acquired Heublein Inc. Reynolds Tobacco is a subsidiary of Reynolds American (RAI). Yet, the trademark is now listed is Dead by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written. 

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of March

  Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful, and may need to avoid the technique during those times.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, the yield, and the market capitalization.

Royce Value Trust Inc (RVT) 3/4/2013 5.1% $1.0B

Tronox Limited (TROX) 3/4/2013 5.1% $2.2B

Harris Corporation (HRS) 3/5/2013 3.1% $5.4B

Weingarten Realty Investors (WRI) 3/5/2013 4.0% $3.7B

TAL International Group, Inc. (TAL) 3/5/2013 6.0% $1.4B

BHP Billiton plc ADR (BBL) 3/6/2013 3.5% $68.1B

BHP Billiton Limited ADR (BHP) 3/6/2013 3.0% $121.7B

CME Group Inc (CME) 3/6/2013 3.1% $19.4B

Gold Fields Limited ADR (GFI) 3/6/2013 3.2% $6.4B

Genuine Parts Company (GPC) 3/6/2013 3.1% $10.8B

Kimberly Clark Corp (KMB) 3/6/2013 3.4% $37.0B

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) 3/6/2013 3.1% $67.7B

Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PEG) 3/6/2013 4.5% $16.3B

PPL Corporation (PPL) 3/6/2013 4.8% $17.9B

Reynolds American, Inc. (RAI) 3/6/2013 5.3% $24.8B

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Updated
Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Socially Irresponsible High Yield Stocks

Many investors and a few mutual funds will purposely avoid investing in certain companies that are in industries that are not considered socially responsible, such as Alcohol, Animal Testing, Weapons, Gambling, Tobacco, Oil, Coal, and Nuclear Energy. However, stocks in one of these industries, cigarettes and tobacco, the yields re quite high.

Cigarettes are still selling well, in spite of the cigarette pack warnings, in spite of the anti-smoking cigarette commercials, and in spite of the upcoming gross anti-smoking warnings that are expected to appear on cigarette packages.

I don't smoke and I don't ever remember investing in a tobacco company. But there are investors who are just primarily concerned about the financials of a company, as opposed to the company's products. There are actually ten publicly traded cigarette and tobacco companies, most of which pay decent dividends, that have been turned up by WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Yields range from 3.5% to 9.3%.

One example is Lorillard, Inc. (LO) has a dividend payout rate of 4.5%. The stock, which markets the Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, Old Gold, and Max brands, trades at 14 times forward earnings.

Altria Group Inc. (MO), which is a Virginia based company that makes and markets cigarettes, cigars, and beer. It is the largest cigarette company by market cap in the US. The stock has a forward price to earning ratio of 13.5, and pays a very generous yield of 5.5%. The company's brands include Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Parliament, Benson & Hedges, Basic, L&M, Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky.

Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) makes and markets cigarettes and other tobacco products including the Camel, Kool, Pall Mall, Doral, Winston, Salem, Misty, Capri, Dunhill, and Natural American Spirit brands. The stock has a forward PE ratio of 13.1, and pays a nice yield of 5.4%.

For a free list of all the high yield tobacco stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Also, if you haven't seen the Graphic Color Anti Smoking Pictures to Appear on Cigarette Packs, you should check them out.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.


By Stockerblog.com

Gross Cigarette Warnings Delay May Help Tobacco Stocks

Remember those gross anti-smoking warnings that were supposed to appear on cigarette packages? Well the tobacco companies have won a temporary delay from a U.S. District Judge giving the court more time to review the FDA mandate.

Obviously, many investors wouldn't touch these stocks with a twenty foot cigarette holder. Other investors, who don't have concerns, like the 'bad company discount' which tends to give tobacco stocks a higher yield than stocks of other industries. There are ten publicly traded cigarette and tobacco companies, almost all of which pay dividends, that have been turned up by WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Yields are as high as 8.9%.

One example is Altria Group Inc. (MO), which is a Virginia based company that makes and markets cigarettes, cigars, and beer. It is the largest cigarette company by market cap in the US. The stock has a forward PE of 12.6, and pays a very generous yield of 5.6%. The company's brands include Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Parliament, Benson & Hedges, Basic, L&M, Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky.

Lorillard, Inc. (LO) has a dividend payout rate of 5.0%. The stock, which markets the Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, Old Gold, and Max brands, trades at 12.9 times forward earnings. The company just boosted its dividend payout rate by an incredible 19%.

Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) makes and markets cigarettes and other tobacco products including the Camel, Kool, Pall Mall, Doral, Winston, Salem, Misty, Capri, Dunhill, and Natural American Spirit brands. The stock has a forward PE ratio of 12.8, and pays a nice yield of 5.5%.

For a free list of all the high yield tobacco stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Also, if you haven't seen the Graphic Color Anti Smoking Pictures to Appear on Cigarette Packs, you should check them out.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Fire Safety Compliant Cigarettes: Top Tobacco Stocks

In the state of Minnesota, there is a requirement that cigarettes have to carry a Fire Safety Compliant label, which means that the cigarettes will go out after a short period of time if they are not being smoked. One investigation shows that this fire compliance doesn't necessarily work. Whether or not this type of compliance will spread across the United States is uncertain.

Certain investors, not just socially responsible investors, will avoid tobacco and cigarette stocks due to health concerns. However, many investors like the high yields of these stocks.

One example is Lorillard, Inc. (LO) which has a dividend payout of 4.4%. The stock, which markets the Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, Old Gold, and Max brands, trades at 14 times forward earnings. According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over half a dozen tobacco stocks with yields in excess of 4%.

Another example is Vector Group Ltd. (VGR), a Florida based tobacco company that has many brands of cigarettes including Liggett, Grand Prix, Eve, Pyramid, USA and nicotine-free Quest. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 19, and pays a yield of 9.1%.

Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) makes and markets cigarettes and other tobacco products including the Camel, Kool, Pall Mall, Doral, Winston, Salem, Misty, Capri, Dunhill, and Natural American Spirit brands. The stock has a forward PE ratio of 14, and pays a yield of 5.4%.

Altria Group Inc. (MO) is a Virginia based company that makes and markets cigarettes, cigars, and beer. It is the largest cigarette company by market cap in the US. The stock has a forward PE of 13, and pays a yield of 5.9%.

For a free list of all the high yield tobacco stocks, which and be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

If you haven't seen the Graphic Color Anti Smoking Pictures to Appear on Cigarette Packs, you should check them out.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Are Cigarette Stocks Smokin' with those High Yields?

There are many socially responsible mutual funds that avoid tobacco companies, and many investors also do likewise. However, if you have no qualms about investing in the producers of cigarettes, you might want to take a look at the list of high yielding tobacco companies at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, many of which yield in excess of 3%.

One high yielder is Lorillard (LO) which has a payout of 4.7%. The stock, which markets the Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, Old Gold, and Max brands, trades at 13 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 6.9% on a 14.4% increase in revenues.

Another example is Reynolds American Inc. (RAI), which makes and markets cigarettes and other tobacco products including the Camel, Kool, Pall Mall, Doral, Winston, Salem, Misty, Capri, Dunhill, and Natural American Spirit brands. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 13.1, and sports a yield of 5.7%.

Vector Group Ltd. (VGR) is a Florida based tobacco company that has many brands of cigarettes including Liggett, Grand Prix, Eve, Pyramid, USA and nicotine-free Quest. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 22, and pays a yield of 8.9%.

Altria Group Inc. (MO) is a Virginia based company that makes and markets cigarettes, cigars, and beer. It is the largest cigarette company by market cap in the US. The stock has a forward PE of 12.2, and pays a yield of 5.7%.

For a list of all the high yield tobacco stocks, which and be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

If you haven't seen the graphic color anti smoking pictures which will be appearing on cigarette packs, you should check them out. (Warning: some of them are gross.)

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

High Yield Tobacco Stocks

On Friday, after tobacco companies were anxiously awaiting a report from the Food and Drug Administration, it was reported that the FDA would not ban menthol cigarettes. The news caused several of the cigarette stocks to rise. Lorillard, Inc. (LO) rose by over 10% for the day. Some investors have strong feelings against investing in cigarette stocks, but if you don't, you should consider them for their extremely high yields. Lorillard has a payout of 6.6%. The stock, which markets the Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, Old Gold, and Max brands, trades at 11.6 times forward earnings. According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over half a dozen tobacco stocks with yields in excess of 4%.

Another example is Vector Group Ltd. (VGR), a Florida based tobacco company that has many brands of cigarettes including Liggett, Grand Prix, Eve, Pyramid, USA and nicotine-free Quest. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 23.7, and pays a yield of 9.3%.

Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) makes and markets cigarettes and other tobacco products including the Camel, Kool, Pall Mall, Doral, Winston, Salem, Misty, Capri, Dunhill, and Natural American Spirit brands. The stock has a forward PE ratio of 11.8, and pays a yield of 6.3%.

Altria Group Inc. (MO) is a Virginia based company that makes and markets cigarettes, cigars, and beer. It is the largest cigarette company by market cap in the US. The stock has a forward PE of 11.3, and pays a yield of 6.1%.

For a list of all the high yield tobacco stocks, which and be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

If you haven't seen the Graphic Color Anti Smoking Pictures to Appear on Cigarette Packs, you should check them out.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Top Yielding S&P 500 Stocks (over 6%)

The Standard & Poor's 500 Index is the primary benchmark for comparison to portfolios. Over 370 of those five hundred stocks pay dividends. The following is a list of the top six, all of which yield over 6%. Please note, in the interest of full disclosure, that I own two out of the six (the top two).

Frontier Communications Corp (FTR) 8.69% PE ratio: 20

Windstream Corporation (WIN) 8.15% PE ratio: 18

CenturyLink, Inc. (CTL) 7.29% PE ratio: 14

Pitney Bowes Inc. (PBI) 6.62% PE ratio: 13

Altria Group, Inc. (MO)6.19% PE ratio: 15

Reynolds American, Inc. (RAI) 6.09% PE ratio: 14

If you like high yield stocks, check out the free lists of high yield electric and gas utilities at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author owned FTR and WIN at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of September

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, your have to be extremely careful.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable Excel list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 3%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Ameren Corporation (AEE) market cap: $6.7B ex div date: 9/7/2010 yield: 5.6%

H&R Block, Inc. (HRB) market cap: $4.4B ex div date: 9/8/2010 yield: 4.4%

Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) market cap: $26.6B ex div date: 9/8/2010 yield: 4.1%

The Laclede Group, Inc. (LG) market cap: $735.3M ex div date: 9/8/2010 yield: 4.8%

Reynolds American, Inc. (RAI) market cap: $16.4B ex div date: 9/8/2010 yield: 6.4%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Author does not own any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com

Top Yielding Tobacco and Cigarette Stocks

Barrack Obama was the first smoking president of the United Stated in many years. I don't know if he has quit smoking yet, but there are still a lot of people out there who do. If you have no objection to investing in cigarette stocks, you may want to consider the tobacco companies, especially because of their extremely high yields.

Vector Group Ltd. (VGR) is a Florida based company that has numerous brands of cigarettes including Liggett, Grand Prix, Eve, Pyramid, USA and nicotine-free Quest. The stock has a PE of 35, and pays a yield of 10.4%.

Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) makes and markets cigarettes and other tobacco products including the Camel, Kool, Pall Mall, Doral, Winston, Salem, Misty, Capri, Dunhill, State Express 555, and Natural American Spirit brands. The stock has a PE of 15, and pays a yield of 7.1%.

Altria Group Inc. (MO) is a Virginia based company that makes and markets cigarettes, cigars, and beer. It is the largest cigarette company by market cap in the US. The stock has a PE of 12, and pays a yield of 6.9%.

British American Tobacco plc (BTI) is a London based company that markets cigarettes and cigars under the Dunhill, Kent, Kool, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Rothmans, Vogue, Viceroy, and Peter Stuyvesant brands. It is one of the largest cigarette companies in the world by market cap. The stock has a PE of 15, and pays a yield of 7.7%.

Philip Morris International, Inc. (PM) markets Marlboro, L&M, Philip Morris, Chesterfield, Parliament, Lark, and Virginia Slims outside the United States. The stock has a PE of 13, and pays a yield of 5.3%.

Lorillard, Inc. (LO) has the Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, Old Gold, and Max brands. The have a PE of 12, and a yield of 5.5%.

If you like high yield stocks, you should check out electric utilities and gas utilities. You can also download an Excel database of monthly dividend stocks and utility stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author does not own any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend during the Second Week of September

The stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends' is becoming more and more popular. It is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets.

When you buy dividends, there are many stocks in many different sectors to choose from. In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork has compiled a free downloadable and sortable Excel list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week. wsnn.com came up with many companies all with market caps over $500 million. Here are a couple examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Ameren Corporation AEE ex div date: 9/8/09 market cap: $5.9B yield: 5.7%

Pepco Holdings, Inc. POM ex div date: 9/8/09 market cap: $3.2B yield: 7.4%

Reynolds American, Inc. RAI ex div date: 9/8/09 market cap: $13.4B yield: 7.3%

The rest of the ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the September link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. For more details on dividend definitions, check out definitions of dividend dates. Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Author doesn't own any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com